Where has the time gone?

Our life is coming to a corner and I'm so excited to find out what will be there once we go around the bend. (Name that book anyone?) Zac graduates in just over 2 months and we will be moving who knows where and it is so exciting. Even though I'm a little insane wishing that I knew where we're going to end up, I'm just grateful that my life is so exciting in a good way. We have things to look forward to, and that makes life very interesting.

Can you believe that when we moved here Teagan was this little guy:

And now he's this little ball o' fun. :) Still drooling of course.

Funny conversations of late:

I had just emptied out one of those 25 pound bags of wheat into a bucket and the bag was sitting by the door waiting to be taken out. I hear Teagan messing with the bag and then some leftover kernels spread out over the floor. He looks at me holding his batman motorcycle:

Me: "Teagan, did you just dump wheat all over the carpet?!?"

Teagan: "Oh! Sorry mom! Batman driving a wittle crazy"

Me: "Ok, tell him to be more careful next time, lets go get the vacuum" (Then I laughed myself silly)

Love and Logic at it's best:

I cleaned up all of Teagan's legos and the bin was still in the living room just before lunch time. While I was making his lunch he went and dumped them ALL out. I was infuriated and swore I'd never clean up another toy!

Me: "oh, this is sad because you can't eat your delicious lunch until all of the legos are cleaned up. Just so you know, naptime is in thirty minutes."

Teagan: "Oh, okay mom!"

He never cleaned them up and took a nap without lunch...he finally cleaned them up that afternoon when his hunger finally kicked in. The next day we had the legos out and I suggested that Teagan only take out as many legos as he wants to clean up. He was enthusiastic about the new idea. Then Zac came in and dumped them out (unaware of me and Teagan's great idea)

Teagan: "Oh no! Daddy dump out legos!!! No me clean up legos, daddy dump out legos, daddy clean up legos!!!" ( he was very concerned)

Zac: "okay don't worry"

3 or 4 hours later it was time to clean up and apparently Teagan kept careful track of who played with which legos.

Me: "okay, time to clean up the legos"

Teagan: "These legos, teagan get out, teagan put these legos away" (pointing to a small car he had built) "Those legos daddy dump out, daddy put away."

HE LEARNED SOMETHING!!!!! WHOOOOOO! I can't believe I actually taught him to be responsible. I'm proud as punch. Hopefully he remembers this lesson for the rest of his life....I seriously doubt it, but a mother can dream right?

-Today Teagan picked me a flower and gave it to me without any promptings.

-Teagan has switched from saying "Come play with me" all day to "tell me a story pleeeaaassse mommy." He requests stories about Batman and Robin and if I don't agree to them his second choice is Nephi building the boat, followed by Ammon chopping off arms....he knows he can get me with the scripture stories. :)

WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

I would like some advice/help on a few topics:

1. What do you know about homeschooling? I had a very cool experience that has lead me in a direction of just learning more about it. You can ask me about it if you want but I don't want to put it on here. Anywho, I'm curious if you know anyone who home-schools, or if you do, or if you've considered it, and please don't say the cliche "I know people who were home-schooled that are weird," because obviously that's judgmental and I'm not concerned with my children being weird, I was weird and I seem to have landed a pretty incredible life. I'm just curious to hear about people's experiences with home-school.

2. Do you have a Physical Therapist or know a Physical Therapist? If you do, you should probably ask them if they are looking to hire a young, strapping, brilliant, talented new grad from the University of St. Augustine. :) Seriously though, word of mouth and "who you know" really seem to be great ways to get a job. Zac got offered his first job the other day, it's an incredible clinic that is Zac's ideal job, but it's in Artesia, New Mexico and that's 20 hours from the closest family member so who knows what will happen with that. Today seemed promising in the Southeastern Idaho area and he has a few phone interviews lined up. One place in Vegas seems promising but I don't know if I can live there, how would I plant the garden I've been dreaming of ever since I became a hippie?!?! We're starting to relax a little because it seems like there is a bigger need for PTs than we originally thought, but finding the right clinic is a trick. If you asked me or Zac right now I think we'd both say that we have NO clue where we'll end up, but I'm happy to imagine us ending up somewhere though. So if you have a lead for Zac, email me! 143daniels@gmail.com

Duplo Legos are Amazing!

I've been in the search of the perfect toy. I think I've finally found it...Duplo Legos. There are a lot of types of building toys and I've decided that these are the ones for families. We've decided to get rid of all our mega bloks and building bloks and start collecting these:

PROS:

-They actually stick together, unlike mega bloks

-There are more button/hole things on top and since they are 2 wide you can be WAY more creative

-Not a choking hazard so the whole family (including tiny ones) can play with them

-Don't require as much fine-motor control as tiny legos

-With fewer pieces you can build a house big enough for action figures

-You can make ANY toy out of these babies. Today we made a swimming pool, robots, a tunnel, tanks, trains, houses, airplances, you name it we can build it. Teagan is learning some amazing creative skills.

-This is the only toy we've taken out in 3 days and he's still playing with them and loving it.

I'm sold on them and that will probably be what Teagan will be getting for Christmas and birthdays while we try to build up a large set. They can be a little pricey so it will take some time, but that's okay, what we have now, thanks to my glorious mother, will be perfect while he's still little.

I really want to have a couple sets of amazing toys so that I can rotate them and not have to have a million different types of toys. What are the toys that your kids LOVE to play with? The ones that they all play with together for hours? What did you love playing with as a kid? I was thinking that maybe the great outdoors might be one of the toys that I rotate. You know, blocks get put away for the summer or something crazy like that... What do you think?

PS: He has been wearing those PJs ($1.75) for the last 30 hours and he does NOT want to take them off....

Not being perfect

So I mention a few post ago that I don't have to worry about comparing Teagan to the next kid and his abilities and brains and all that. We just don't want to make all the other parents feel bad. ;)

One area where I've been slightly concerned at times is singing. I hear children that are so young singing songs all the time. They hold a tune and memorize words and it's very special and advanced and all that...(those must be the "gifted" children).

But I bet the gifted ones can't make their mom's cry with laughter when they sing like Teagan can.

This is how he ALWAYS sings, never with words only with "La La La." I think it's the most adorable thing ever and I hope he doesn't learn to sing words for at least another year or two! I need to do a post of all the funny things he says these days, he definitely got Zac's hilarious personality. How lucky am I to be surrounded by comedians all day?

Family Night, or Fight night?

So these videos give a little background of what family night looks like at our house...I thought that the grandma's and grandpa's would appreciate this.

A little background: We had a lesson about doing hard things and how when we have to do something that is really hard we can pray for help and Jesus and Heavenly Father can help us. So the story we told him was David and Goliath.

We find that acting the stories out is much more effective than just telling the story....enjoy

Hmmmm do you think he got the message or did he just have a lot of fun fighting with Zac? Who cares. :) We had a ton of fun together and I think that's the whole point of family night. :)

How to get a toddler to love vegetables...

Or should I say tolerate vegetables? haha

I feel like we've come SO far with Teagan and his vegetables that it is worthy of a post. Maybe some of our tips and tricks will work for your picky toddler.

This picture depicts how much he loves to eat healthy. :)

So a little background: If you look back about a year or so I did a post about how Teagan wasn't eating the greatest. All he wanted was grains and dairy and some fruits. I was really concerned and so I started gathering info about getting kids to eat veggies. I came across advice in random books, movies, phone conversations and from observing other people. Here is what I've come up with:

**NOTE: these ideas do not in any way encourage good table manners**

Kids haven't acquired tastes for most foods when they're born so it's our job as parents to expose them to new foods. Teagan generally doesn't like a food the first few times he tries them, but over time it gets better so the key is to get them to try foods over and over.

-The rule is that he must try at least TWO BITES of each type of food at meals before he can completely dismiss them as gross and disgusting.
- If he tries something and doesn't like it I don't get mad at him (even if he spits it out-although we work hard to get him to swallow it). I just say "good job for trying ______, you are such a big boy! Maybe next time you try ______ you'll like it better. I'm sure proud of you for trying new things!" This keeps the atmosphere at dinner positive, and makes him more compliant when I ask him to try new things in the future.

-Don't make a separate meal for your child, even if they throw a tantrum. Just the other night we told Teagan it was time for dinner, he found out we were having salad and he SCREAMED and through a fit. After he got it out of his system in his room we just had him sit at the table with us (without his food) and told him he could ask for it when he was ready to try it. After a few minutes of conversation and of Zac and I ignoring his protest he asked for his food and started eating it. Hunger is really motivating.

-Allow your child to get hungry and don't spoil them with too many delicious treats. Food should be a means for nurturing your body, not a distraction, entertainment, or reward....I fail in this area OVER AND OVER again...but I still know that it's true. I think that a huge part of the obesity problem in American children is that they are taught to eat constantly! I still give teagan snacks and I don't force him to become ravenous, but the snacks are fruits or veggies and I don't give him snacks for a couple hours before each meal, especially dinner.

-Do give your kid the food they don't like when they are the hungriest. Broccoli just tastes better when you're starving, but a baked potato and piece toast always taste great. We eat in courses (sort of). Salad/veggies always come first, then after he's tried a certain amount (whatever we decide) we'll let him have whatever else we have for dinner. "When you've finished your spinach, you can have a scoop of rice." If you're consistent they learn to suffer through the spinach so they can enjoy the rice. And eventually you can give them at the same time and they like them both (still waiting for him to love spinach).
-Have a little fun with dinner and get silly. One of my favorite tricks that NEVER fails is this. Teagan starts complaining about eating a certain item and getting whinny so I just lay my head on the table and pretend to be asleep. Zac: "Oh no! Mommy fell asleep, the only way to wake her up is to eat a bite!" Then Teagan eats a bite and I jump out of my sleep and make a silly noise or something and Teagan laughs and laughs, then I fall asleep again and it begins again. This is not a good life long habit, but it is a great way to get him used to a new taste or texture. This is how we got him to eat peppers, now he requests red peppers as a snack (and I don't have to sleep to make it work)

-Talk about how much YOU love the food and the taste...better yet, talk about the animals that love that food. Whenever we are doing the "eat your salad" battle we always talk about how bunny rabbits love lettuce and we show Teagan how a bunny would eat lettuce. Then Teagan laughs and wants to pretend to be a rabbit eating lettuce. Sometimes we just make stuff up. "Oh you don't like tomatoes? You must be crazy because did you know that elephants LOVE tomatoes, they just gobble them up with their trunk." Then Teagan's arm magically transforms into a trunk and he's eating tomatoes.

Just keeping dinner a positive, fun time makes all the difference in the world. I figure that a lot of work now is worth it! We still plan to fail hundreds of times before we have Teagan eating perfectly, but I think these are good ideas for a start.

The last post about food!!!!!!!

So the last few months we've gone through huge changes as a family, mostly in regards to what we eat. The change has been gradual and I think we're finally in a place that we can maintain. What we eat is SO important. It effects every aspect of life and I think that it's important for every person to learn more about this area and make decisions for you and your family.

Here are the 4 places where I have found a lot of direction as to what we eat in our family. If you have some free time I highly recommend reading/watching them too.

What I learned: People can say whatever they want about how food is made and they aren't worried about health when they are advertising for a certain product. It is my job to read ingredient labels and decide what my family eats. Also, fresher is better!

Changes in Lifestyle: We basically did away with all processed foods that contain preservatives. I became much less concerned about the nutrition information and percentages and more concerned about the actual ingredients.

What I learned: Our bodies are really amazing and there are 7 areas where we can make changes to live a happier and more fulfilling life. Drink more water, get enough sleep, eat healthy foods, Exercise, take the right supplements, get rid of toxins and lessen your stress.

Lifestyle Changes: We try to go to bed and wake up with the sun, have a regular exercise routine and we've simplified our life to avoid so much stress. The big switch for food was eating less sugar and watching out for MSG and fully hydrogenated oil. I got rid of the shortening and finished off my white flour. I started learning new ways to cook food in a healthier way.

What I learned: The science to prove the importance of a plant foods based diet is astounding! This author did a 30 year study in China involving diet and disease and he has done tons of research. He has research to prove that a whole foods/plant based diet can prevent, slow, stop, and reverse some of the most life threatening diseases that our nation faces like cancer, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, MS, arthritis, and more! I also caught a glimpse of how the government determines food policies. The bottom line: People who consume LESS THAN 10% of their total diet as animal protein (all meat and dairy) have a much smaller incidence of these "Western Diseases." After 10% there is an exponential increase in the incidence of death caused by these diseases. He recommends that you should be Vegan.

Note:

*We aren't vegan, in case you were wondering. People who are vegan need to take a vitamin B supplement because b-12 is basically only found in meat. Here come my religious views: God created man and he created an earth where we have all the resources needed to have a healthy body. He must have intended for us to eat a small amount of meat to meet that need in our body for B-12 so we eat a small amount of meat.

Lifestyle changes: I only use dairy products for cooking, for example I use milk and eggs in pancakes, but none of us ever drinks a glass of milk anymore. We do have scrambled eggs loaded with peppers and onions probably once a week. I try to provide most of our protein through a variety of beans, grains and vegetables. We probably eat meat with our meals 4 times a week.

Bible:

There is the story of Daniel and his 3 friends who went to work for the king. The king tried to feed them wine and meat and they refused asking for water and veggies instead. After a few weeks the king saw that they were stronger and healthier than all of his men so he made a change. This story speaks for itself.

Jesus provided fish and bread for 2000 people...perhaps meat isn't too bad if he provided it as a meal.

Doctrine & Covenants:

The Word of Wisdom gives a great summary of what to eat and what not to eat. The basics: Don't drink alcohol, coffee, or tea, and don't smoke. DO eat fruits and veggies in the right season, eat grains, especially wheat, and eat meat sparingly. I love that this revelation is over 150 years old and now there is plenty of science to prove that it's true. There are some contradicting findings about health value in alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea and high meat diets. I'm curious to read the studies and analyze their design to see if the findings are valid. Though, I have to admit that even if all the science in the world proved that smoking had health benefits I'd still go with God's view, because I figure that he has a better view of what is good for the bodies he created.

SO there you have it. I am going to try to get off of this whole food kick and move on to something else. I think I've learned enough for now in this area to keep my family alive and I've established some great eating habits for our family. I'm getting too obsessive over the whole thing so I've decided it's time for a change. I'm looking around at our apartment thinking that my next obsession probably needs to be about how to clean a house. What do you think? Am I nuts? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

My Baby

I just have to document how funny Teagan is being these last couple days. I watched a friend's little boys a few days ago who both happened to wear diapers. They accidentally left one (Mickey Mouse) and Teagan got the bright idea to wear it and pretend to be a baby. Things that come with being a baby:

-Always wearing a diaper (luckily he still uses the potty for potty purposes)

-Only being interested in our bag of "Baby toys"

-Spending LOTS and LOTS of time in the old car seat

-Crawling as the main form of transportation (funny, since he never crawled as a baby)

-Frequently correcting me when I call him "Teagan" he says "no mom, me baby" and then he giggles.

-Only wanting "baby songs" when going to bed such as "Rock a by baby" and "twinkle twinkle"

I wouldn't blog about this, except for the fact that we're going on day THREE of this. Me and Zac just sort of play along, thinking it will be a short phase....hopefully we're right. When it's time to go somewhere I just say something like "Only big boys can go to the store/pool/friends house" and he is pretty good about switching back. haha, what a crazy kiddo!